Prison Population

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the prison population in the United Kingdom at 25 December 2002, 25 January 2003 and 25 February 2003; and how many of those persons were being held in police cells designated for the purpose; and
	What was the total in the United Kingdom at 25 February; and how many of those were in police cells designated for the purpose; and
	How many places were available in open prisons at 25 February; and how many prisoners were of a category judged to be suitable for placement in open prisons at that date; and
	What are their contingency plans to provide places in secure accommodation for persons sentenced to a term of imprisonment when the number of places in prisons has been filled.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: On 24 December 2002 (the nearest date to 25 December 2002 for which data are available), the total prison population was 70,320. There were no prisoners being held in police cells under Operation Safeguard on that date.
	On 24 January 2003 (the nearest date to 25 January 2003 for which data are available), the prison population was 70,505. There were no prisoners being held in police cells under Operation Safeguard on that date.
	On 25 February 2003 the prison population was 72,144. There were no prisoners being held in police cells under Operation Safeguard on that date. The total useable operational capacity of the Prison Service estate was 73,556: this is the maximum number of prisoners that the estate could normally expect to hold without recourse to police cells. There is a possibility that police cells may be required in some parts of the country before useable operational capacity is reached.
	On 25 February 2003 the total useable operational capacity of the open prison estate was 4,357. There were 887 vacancies in open prisons on that date. On 25 February 2003 there were 4,513 prisoners who can be reasonably trusted in open conditions. A significant number of these prisoners will not be placed in dedicated open prisons, the main reason being that they are more appropriately located in closed conditions, where their individual treatment, programme and or resettlement needs can be more effectively met. Some of these prisoners, such as fine defaulters, are serving short-term sentences whose length makes a move to open conditions impractical. Some may also need to be held in a closed prison while their specific healthcare needs are met.
	The Prison Service has population management procedures in place to monitor prison population levels. Should it be necessary, the Prison Service will activate Operation Safeguard so that police cells throughout the country can be used to hold those sentenced to a term of imprisonment for whom a Prison Service establishment place is not immediately available. The Prison Service last used police cells for this purpose on the night of 20 December 2002.
	The information given above is for Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. As at 25 February 2003, the Northern Ireland Prison Service has certified accommodation for 1,385 prisoners. Their prison population on 24 December 2002 was 1,013. It was 1,091 on 24 January 2003 and 1,101 on 24 February 2003. The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not, and has not, used police cells and its estate does not contain any open prisons.
	Information relating to Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.

Data Sharing

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 4 March (HL Deb, col. 707) in which he identified that information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Passport Service and other databases could be cross-checked to combat identity fraud, whether the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 apply to such checking, particularly the requirement that data shall only be used for the purpose for which they were collected, by the URU service (an online identity checking service); and, in the event that there are difficulties in this context, how they propose to resolve them.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: In Answer to a separate Question by the noble Earl I have stated that the commercially provided URU service does not have access to information held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and UK Passport Service databases.
	In my Answer of 4 March to which the noble Earl refers (HL Deb, col. 707), I did not say that information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Passport Service and other databases could be cross-checked to combat identity fraud. However, greater use of this type of data sharing was recommended by the Cabinet Office study on identity fraud and the UK Passport Service and the DVLA are planning to share information with the consent of individuals, which would be fully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. In addition to helping to counter identity fraud, this link will provide customer benefits as people applying for photocard driving licences will no longer need to send in their passports to DVLA to confirm their identity.

Citizens of Iraq Resident in UK

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are discussing or making any plans to intern or otherwise detain citizens of Iraq who are resident in this country; and if so, under which legislative provisions; what criteria if any will be used to select people; and where such people will be detained.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We currently have no plans to intern or otherwise detain citizens of Iraq who are resident in this country.
	However, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary will continue to keep under close review any threats to national security from wherever they come and will take whatever action is necessary to protect the public. This is best achieved by a range of measures that more accurately target those individuals and groups that pose a threat regardless of their nationality.

Asylum Appeals: Home Office Representation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In approximately what proportion of cases during the past year Home Office presenting officers and counsel representing the Home Office have participated in the hearing of asylum appeals by adjudicators.

Lord Filkin: Home Office presenting officers and counsel representing the Home Office in appeals before an adjudicator are allocated to lists of cases, which may comprise both asylum and non-asylum appeals. Because the cases within the lists can be changed at short notice, the information on cases at which the Home Office has been represented is not reliable and is unavailable in the form requested.

Home Office Responses to Correspondence from the General Public

Baroness Knight of Collingtree: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 26 February (HL Deb, col. 237), what is the performance for Home Office responses to correspondence from the general public.

Lord Filkin: The Home Office is targeted with answering 95 per cent of public correspondence within 20 working days. This is one of the agreed public service agreements (PSA) for central government.
	The Home Office performance against this target for the period April 2002 to February 2003 for non-immigration matters currently stands cumulatively at 90 per cent within 20 working days. The monthly performance over the last six months is as follows:
	September 2002: 91 per cent
	October 2002: 90 per cent
	November 2002: 94 per cent
	December 2002: 93 per cent
	January 2003: 93 per cent
	February 2003: 92 per cent
	Thus, performance against target over the past six months averages 92 per cent.
	No performance data are held currently for public correspondence on immigration and nationality matters. This will be addressed when the new correspondence tracking system is further developed to operate on IND systems later this year.

Mr Colin Skellet

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the dropping of all charges by the Crown Prosecution Service in the case of Mr Colin Skellet, whether they will list all the background briefings that were given by the police and Crown Prosecution Service to the press at the time of Mr Skellet's arrest; and whether they will name those who authorised them.

Lord Goldsmith: The Crown Prosecution Service did not give briefings to the press at the time of Mr Skellet's arrest. Once a file on the matter had been received by the Crown Prosecution Service its press office gave factual responses to press inquiries confirming that the file had been received and was under consideration.
	I can, however, only reply on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, for which I am responsible. The conduct of the City of London Police is a matter for the Commissioner of the City of London Police.

Foot and Mouth Disease Contingency Plans

Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they anticipate having a foot and mouth contingency plan in place.

Lord Whitty: Foot and mouth disease contingency plans for Great Britain, as required by Article 5 of Directive 90/423, were in place prior to the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease, as were veterinary operational instructions and local animal health office plans. All these were subject to ongoing review and updating.
	Since the 2001 outbreak, Defra has prepared revised foot and mouth disease contingency plans. On 12 March 2002, Defra's interim foot and mouth disease contingency plan was published on the Defra website (www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/contingency/contingency.htm).
	On 3 July 2002, the interim plan was updated and a revised version published, and on 6 November 2002 Defra introduced the foot and mouth disease contingency plan, which was published on the Defra website. This publication was announced to the House in my Statement on the Government's response to the official inquiries.
	To meet the requirements of Section 18 of the Animal Health Act, which comes into force on 24 March 2003, Defra is preparing a revised foot and mouth disease contingency plan following wide consultation, which will be laid before Parliament very soon.

Halon Fire Extinguishers

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps have been taken to enable the public to recognise a halon fire extinguisher and to alert them to the risk.

Lord Whitty: In 2001, the former DETR and DTI published detailed guidance, entitled Phase out of Halons, for the fire-protection industry and users to alert them to the fact that, under Regulation (EC) 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer, halon fire-protection systems and extinguishers would need to be decommissioned before 31 December 2003. Halon fire-extinguisher cylinders should be green rather than red, as they should have stopped being manufactured before an EC requirement for cylinders to be red came into effect. They would also be labelled as either Halon or BCF, which is the acronym for bromochlorodifluoromethane, the chemical name for Halon 1211.

Events held in Hyde Park

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For each major event staged in Hyde Park since 1 April 2002, what were (a) the date of the event and the name of its promoter; (b) the periods during which access to parts of the park was restricted during setting up or dismantling of staging; (c) the numbers of paying customers; and (d) the revenue payable to the Royal Parks Agency.

Baroness Blackstone: I set out below the dates of the events held in Hyde Park since 1 April 2002, the promoters of the events and the periods during which access to parts of the park were restricted during setting up or dismantling the events.
	With the exception of the Star Trek exhibition, I am unable to say how many people attended each event and I have therefore set out the maximum capacity of the audience for each event.
	The income payable for individual events is commercially sensitive, but the total amount received for the events listed below was £1.095 million.
	
		
			 Date Event Promoter breakdown Setup Capacity 
			 3 June Music Live BBC 29 May to 7 June none (free) 
			 29 June Safeway Picnic 2000 The Prince's Trust 17 June to 12 July 60,000 
			 7 July Party in the Park The Prince's Trust 17 June to 12 July 100,000 
			 20 July Bryan Adams AAA 10 July to 2 August 18,000 
			 21 July Supertramp AAA 10 July to 2 August 18,000 
			 24 July Meat Loaf AAA 10 July to 2 August 18,000 
			 26 July St Germaine AAA 10 July to 2 August 18,000 
			 27 July The Cure AAA 10 July to 2 August 18,000 
			 28 July Paul Weller AAA 10 July to 2 August 18,000 
			 1 September Flora Women's Challenge London Marathon Trust 31 August to 1 September 20,000 runners 
			 14 September 15 September 15 September Proms in the Park CBBC Prom Blue Planet Prom BBC BBC BBC 6 Sept to 21 Sept 6 Sept to 21 Sept 6 Sept to 21 Sept 40,000 20,000 20,000 
			 17 December Star Trek The Adventure AAA 3 December to date average 6,000 per day

Food Supplements Directive: Production of Dossiers

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they and the Food Standards Agency intend to take to address the technical and financial issues associated with the production of dossiers for consideration by the European Food Safety Authority in relation to nutrients which are not included in the list of permitted ingredients for use in food supplements set out in Schedules 2 and 3 to the proposed Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003; and
	Whether they or the Food Standards Agency have made any approaches to the European Commission or the European Union Scientific Committee for Foods in relation to the technical difficulties and financial issues associated with the production of dossiers for consideration by the European Food Safety Authority in relation to nutrients which are not included in the list of permitted ingredients for use in food supplements set out in Annexes 1 and 2 to the Food Supplements Directive.

Baroness Andrews: The Government are not able to address the financial issues associated with the production of safety dossiers for consideration by the European Food Safety Authority. The Food Standards Agency has written to the European Commission with the aim of facilitating a meeting between UK stakeholders and representatives of the EU Scientific Committee on Food to discuss the technical content of such dossiers.

Food Supplements Directive: Production of Dossiers

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the potential costs involved in the production of dossiers for submission to the European Food Safety Authority in connection with nutrients for which manufacturers are seeking inclusion in the lists of permitted ingredients set out in the annexes to the Food Supplements Directive.

Baroness Andrews: The Government have not made their own assessment of the potential costs involved in the production of dossiers for submission to the European Food Safety Authority. Industry cost estimates provided to the Food Standards Agency during consultation suggest that they might be £80,000 to £250,000 per dossier where significant safety data are not already available.

Food Supplements Directive: Production of Dossiers

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the numbers and value of food supplement products currently on the United Kingdom market which contain nutrients omitted from Annex 1 of the Food Supplements Directive and for which no nutrient sources are listed in Annex 2 of the directive.

Baroness Andrews: The Government have not made an assessment of the number of products on the United Kingdom market which contain nutrients and nutrient sources omitted from Annexes 1 and 2 to the Food Supplements Directive. In the UK, the retail market for vitamins, minerals and other supplements was valued at £335 million in 2000. Industry estimates suggest that up to 5 per cent of the market may be affected, indicating a value in the region of £16.75 million.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions the National Health Service has had with the British Healthcare Trades Association on provision of closed circuit television to improve the well-being of patients with age-related macular degeneration; what the outcome of any such discussions has been; and whether they will consider a pilot study, supported by clinical input, of improvements that can be achieved by such provision.

Baroness Andrews: The Department of Health has had no discussions with the British Healthcare Trades Association on the provision of closed circuit television reading aids (CCTVs) to patients with age-related macular degeneration. Social services departments can provide CCTV if it is felt to be warranted in particular cases. However this will be the exception rather than the rule. The majority of patients with reading difficulties as a result of vision loss will have access to optical low vision aids such as high-powered reading lenses, magnifiers and telescopes, on loan through the Hospital Eye Service. In addition, some primary care trusts have local arrangements for the provision of low vision aids.

Clinical Negligence Claims

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 19 July 2001 (WA 139), what was the total cost of clinical negligence claims in the National Health Service in England for each year from 2000 to date.

Baroness Andrews: The total cost of clinical negligence claims in the National Health Service in England for each year from 2000 to date is
	
		
			 Year Total Cost 
			 2000–01 £415 million 
		
	
	Information concerning 2001–02 is due to be published by the National Audit Office shortly.
	The total cost of clinical negligence claims in the National Health Service in England for each year from 2000 was previously quoted at £392 million. An internal audit has revealed that the correct figure is £415 million.

Northern Ireland: Protestant and Roman Catholic Employment

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What factors have been identified as responsible for the unemployment differential between Protestants and Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: A substantial body of research has indicated that the difference in the unemployment rates between Protestants and Catholics is due to a complex interaction over time of a number of factors. These factors include characteristics such as age, marital status, number of children, family experience of unemployment, housing tenure and educational qualifications; regional factors such as area of residence, sectoral performance and demographic factors such as labour force growth and migration and the unwillingness of some job seekers to consider employment in particular geographic areas (referred to as the chill factor). Discrimination has also been considered as a possible contributory factor but it is unclear the extent to which this has, or continues to be, an influence.

Northern Ireland: Electoral Identity Cards

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applications have been made for electoral identity cards in each of the Northern Ireland constituencies.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is not available by constituency. However, the total number of applications received as at 14 March 2003 was 55,225.

Northern Ireland: Electoral Identity Cards

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many electoral identity cards have been issued in each of the Northern Ireland constituencies.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is not available by constituency. However, the total number of cards issued at 17 March 2003 was approximately 17,946.

Northern Ireland: Electoral Identity Cards

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average length of time taken to process applications for Northern Ireland electoral identity cards.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is currently not available. However, the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland estimates that the minimum time required to process an application and issue a card is seven working days, provided the application is accurate and complete.

Belfast Agreement: Parity of Esteem

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Belfast Agreement of 1998 offers parity of esteem and treatment to all sections on the island of Ireland; and whether this includes the Ulster Scots and the Irish community in Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The agreement endorsed the commitment made by the British and Irish Governments that, whatever choice is freely exercised by a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, the power of the sovereign government with jurisdiction there shall be exercised with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all of the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions and shall be founded on the principles in full respect for, and equality of, civil, political, social and cultural rights, of freedom from discrimination for all citizens and of parity of esteem and of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities.

Mersey Street, East Belfast:Proposed Development

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In view of the residential development on a brownfield site at Mersey Street in East Belfast, what are their plans to cope with the increased traffic expected in the area.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: I have asked the chief executive of Roads Service to write to the noble Lord in response to this Question. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Northern Ireland Government Departments: Letterheads

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Northern Ireland government departments have their title on letterheads in Irish and English; and, if any, whether they should also use Ulster Scots.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety uses English and Irish on its departmental letterheads.
	The Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Culture Arts and Leisure and Education use English, Irish and Ulster Scots on their departmental letterheads.
	The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland decided to allow departments to continue with the existing practices that had applied during devolution, during what is hoped to be a temporary suspension of the devolved Northern Ireland administration.

Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which cases were brought under Section 2 of the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860 during 2002.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.